Blendon Woods Civic Association

WHAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION?

How is it different from a Homeowners Association?
Who are its members?

Neighborhood Associations bring neighbors together in order to improve the livability of a jurisdiction's neighborhoods. There are many neighborhood associations throughout Columbus that help citizens make their voices heard in City Council.

A Homeowners Association is a Mandatory Membership Organization for the maintenance of commonly owned real estate and improvements. They can range size-wise, from a simple du-plex to a huge development with many detached homes, condominiums, and townhouses that maintain marinas, pools, clubhouses, golf courses and other extensive recreational facilities.

A "Neighborhood Association" is a voluntary membership organization that deals with social, political, zoning, crime and does not maintain commonly owned property.

A Neighborhood Association is a group of residents, business representatives, and other interested citizens who devote their time and energy to improve and enhance a well-defined, geographic area where they and others live. The neighborhood association meeting, like the town meetings of old, is a place to meet neighbors, exchange ideas, prioritize projects, propose solutions, develop legislative priorities and implement plans for the neighborhood.

Most neighborhood associations are concerned with issues that affect the quality of life in the community. This can include issues such as zoning regulations or traffic improvements, bills that impact their neighborhood as well as events that strengthen neighborhoods. Sponsoring neighborhood festivals, block parties, crime prevention activities and upgrading neighborhood parks are important projects for neighborhood associations.

Neighborhoods usually organize to:

• Build a sense of community among neighbors;
• Address a particular issue of the neighborhood;
• Provide the neighborhood with an effective communication link with government officials and other influential groups;
• Provide a voice for the neighborhood at the State level;
• Empower residents to work together in improving their neighborhood:
  Organizing a neighborhood brings people together to form a collective, united voice. A well-organized group of people can be a powerful and influential political force.

Keeping a neighborhood association organized is a big job. While it may seem difficult at first, keeping your association organized can be enormously exciting as people come together to address common problems, gain momentum and learn to work together as a group.

Keep in mind some important guidelines as you begin to organize:

• Building an organization is a process. It cannot be done overnight. Be patient. Identify your priorities and build them step-by-step.
• Set realistic goals. Start small and build upward. As your organizational capacity grows, start setting your goals higher.
• How you treat people is crucial to your success. By treating people with respect and integrity, people will be more likely to become involved in the organization.

People join neighborhood groups for a variety of reasons. One of them is to get to know their neighbors and to feel a sense of community. So as you build up your organization, be sure to have fun.

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt